RESTAURANT REVIEW: Monahan & Fitzgerald’s Offers Classics

Longtime Bayside fixture Monahan & Fitzgerald will be offering its classic dishes this fall with a few special touches to commemorate Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

According to the Irish pub’s owner, Jeff Reinhart, there’s one dish that’s a favorite all year round.

Monahan & Fitzgerald’s famousShepherd’s Pie. Photo by James Farrell.

“We have the best shepherd’s pie anywhere,” said Reinhart.

The shepherd’s pie is an Irish pub classic, and at Monahan and Fitzgerald, it’s also a warm refuge from crisp November nights along Bell Boulevard. Flower-like swirls of mashed potatoes with golden brown edges top off a piping hot stew of ground sirloin, rich gravy and vegetables. It’s a steady classic—one that won’t disappoint at Monahan’s.

The restaurant offers other steady classics like its lobster ravioli topped with shrimp and, Reinhart’s favorite dish, the New York strip. At Monahan’s, this steak lover’s favorite is flame grilled and served with potatoes and vegetables, topped off with frizzled onions.

Monahan & Fitzgerald also offers weekly specials that give diners an opportunity to explore new options, often with seafood. Although its not seasonal, the seafood pomodoro has been a recent addition to the specials cycle that’s beginning to turn heads. The dish offers a medley of shrimp, scallops and calamari with fresh tomato sauce and a choice between fettuccine and linguine pasta.

In addition to the classics on the main menu and the weekly specials, there are a handful of seasonal additions coming to the menu. The dessert section, for instance, now offers a delicious pumpkin ice cream tartufo to get sweet tooths into the fall spirit.

Reinhart says that the bar is seeing some more seasonal choices in its drink selection as well, with some fall-themed choices on draft. The Greenpoint Harbor Brewing Company’s Leaf Pile Ale, for instance, includes ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to add a pumpkin flavor. And the New Belgium Winter White IPA adds a hoppy flavor to the holiday season.

The drink selection is especially important at Monahan & Fitzgerald around Thanksgiving. While the kitchen isn’t open on Thanksgiving Day, the bar will be working hard the night before.

“Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is our busiest night of the year,” said Reinhart. “The place is packed.”

Monahan & Fitzgerald boasts two floors of bars—both of which will be open and packed to the brim the day before Thanksgiving, Reinhart said.

Additionally, Monahan & Fitzgerald offers a private party room for small business events, school functions and any holiday events that restaurant goers are hoping to host. The Bunratty Room, as it’s called, can fit up to 70 people.

But Reinhart says that restaurant goers shouldn’t just come to Monahan & Fitzgerald the night before Thanksgiving—its location off of Bell Boulevard makes it a great spot to enjoy the Fall weather.

“It’s the best time of year to be in Bayside,” said Reinhart. “The weather’s perfect for a nice, evening stroll.”
And maybe follow up that stroll with a shepherd’s pie.

Reach out to James Farrell at (718) 357-7400 x 127, jfarrell@queenstribune.com or @farrellj329.